Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Aftermath (3)
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Joart looked back at me and opened his mouth again.
"Did you destroy the artifact completely because it was something you couldn't handle? Hmm, is it because of the Emperor?"
"No, purely out of my curiosity."
It was sincere.
But Joart had no intention of taking it at face value.
"I thought there was no connection between the two... Well, since it's already destroyed, there's nothing more to say."
He seemed convinced that I'd smashed the artifact to avoid putting the Emperor in a difficult position.
Honestly, that thought hadn't been entirely absent.
Disassembling a national treasure-level artifact had been purely my curiosity, but revealing that fact was also because I hoped Joart wouldn't use it as leverage to pressure the Emperor further.
...There was something else I wanted to ask, but an unexpected figure had shown up and led us down a different path.
I decided to ask Joart about the oracle that had been nagging at me.
Of course, I wouldn't bring it up directly.
One thing I'd learned the hard way from past experiences was that at my current level, the moment I gave the impression of knowing too much, suspicion would follow immediately.
Just look at how casually showing off elven magic had left me with this annoying tail ever since.
"By the way, you mentioned before that a confusing time would come for me."
"The oracle?"
"Yes. I'm curious about how things are unfolding these days. Is that time really approaching, just like the oracle said?"
"Oracles don't get things wrong."
"I see. For someone busy just trying to survive, it only makes me more anxious for no reason."
"It's become even more certain lately."
"Is it related to the Lord of Evil?"
Joart nodded.
"Yes... However, you don't need to worry about it much. It wasn't something you needed to know in the first place."
Merin jumped in from the side, seizing the opportunity.
"Dipping your toes into mysterious affairs out of curiosity can end up tearing you apart."
Both of them were clearly trying to dampen my interest.
But I already knew a fair bit.
Mysterious affairs? Please.
I knew they'd resolved things without lifting a finger.
But I couldn't just say that outright.
"Still... For people like us to not even sense any ominous aura must mean the Transcendents are blocking it all upfront. At the very least, I wanted to express my gratitude for that."
"... ."
Joart's expression shifted subtly into something odd.
"That's not like you to say."
"If you're taking risks in my place and I can't even feel grateful knowing that, wouldn't that make me no better than a beast?"
"... ."
This time, both Joart and Merin stared at me in silence.
A strange quiet settled in.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"...It's nothing."
"Oh, right. You said back then that the one you told me was the final oracle, didn't you?"
"Did you tell her that too?"
Merin narrowed her eyes at Joart.
But Joart replied without batting an eye.
"I did."
"You're insane. Spilling everything left and right, huh?"
"I didn't spill it everywhere."
"Telling a fifth-circle mage with no connection is spilling it everywhere."
"There was a connection. Up until then."
"...Ugh."
Merin raised her hand in frustration before turning her face away and letting out a short breath.
Joart ignored her reaction entirely and spoke right up.
"Why are you asking about that?"
"Oh, just curious if it really was the last oracle. It makes me anxious. What if another one came down and we didn't notice... ."
Joart shook his head, then suddenly froze mid-motion.
A faint flicker of surprise crossed his face belatedly.
"That's possible."
"It is?"
I was just as shocked as Joart by the completely unexpected response.
It wasn't acting—this was genuine.
"Yes, the oracle steles are inscribed directly by the Hero. After the Hero died, the ones we could see became the last, but that doesn't mean the steles themselves aren't still out there somewhere."
"The Hero inscribed them personally...?"
"Yes. From what I've heard, the Hero would fetch a stele from somewhere at set intervals and carve the oracle into it himself."
Carving oracles into steles.
It didn't quite click.
"Inscribe, not just view them?"
"They say he carved them directly with his own sword."
"Then those steles are... ."
"They could be anywhere on this continent. But we can't tell if a stele is an oracle stele. They look like perfectly ordinary ones on the outside."
So even now, there could be an oracle stele abandoned somewhere.
Though no way to recognize it.
Wait a minute.
The Hero carved the oracle himself with his sword?
But the final oracle was about a new Hero being born in a time of confusion.
Did that mean the Hero knew he was going to die?
"Then the stele for the final oracle... ."
"That one."
"Hold on."
Merin cut in midway.
"So that's how you spilled everything. ...You."
She clicked her tongue at Joart, then her gaze snapped to me.
I shrugged. ...Too bad.
"Why are you so curious about everything?"
"Lately, I've been thinking about all sorts of things."
"Interested in oracles?"
"Yes. When you're anxious, you start wanting to cling to religion or something. Like wanting to lean on anything."
"The oracles we're talking about aren't exactly religious ones... Anyway, you're curious about that?"
Merin grinned.
Did I show that much interest in elven magic?
Why?
Did it mean that even after cleaning up the north, the forces of evil were still strong?
Because of Ad?
But would these two know that level of detail?
'Are there forces elsewhere besides the north?'
It was something I'd anticipated.
When Joart first shared info with me, he said the atmosphere of upholding the pact was wavering.
A force on the scale of the north wouldn't shift the mood of all Transcendents.
...Still, I'd gotten all the info I could.
I wanted to see the oracle stele myself, but with Merin butting in, that wasn't happening.
I had nothing to trade right now anyway.
Time to back off.
"It's fine. If the Transcendent says it's certain, that's enough for me. I should shake off this anxiety."
"Hmph, playing hard to get. I'm not like Joart."
Ripples spread across Merin's palm like waves.
In an instant, they coalesced into a menacing little vortex.
She wore a playful smile, but a coldly frozen aura peeked through.
A threat, huh. Sure, I'd been holding up against contradictions so far, so breaking the pact once more shouldn't be hard for her.
I'd half-expected her to force it out of me.
That's when Joart intervened again.
"Cut the empty threats."
"Ah, you keep butting in? You're killing my vibe."
"You don't even mean it."
"What'd you say?"
Joart ignored further bickering and turned to me with a flat tone.
"Anyway, what a shame. I thought there might be more we could do together."
With the artifact and Emperor issues wrapped up, it was true there was no more reason to get tangled with them.
But my instincts told me this connection wouldn't snap so easily.
No, maybe I should question the assumption that they'd give up easily from the start.
Did they have some other agenda?
Honestly, scrutinizing their attitudes, I didn't sense outright malice toward me.
Was it really just about the elven magic?
Then why not bring it up directly?
In any case, the two Transcendents turned away rather anticlimactically.
'I thought they'd force it out of me.'
Merin maybe, but Joart didn't seem the type.
'Didn't get to ask about the elves and the pact either.'
Truth be told, it wasn't something I could bring up first. All I could do was pick up whatever they let slip.
Joart might've dropped a hint or two, but Merin clamping down midway killed that chance.
Guess I'd have to hear updates through Anonymous (2).
"Once this is wrapped up, we should meet him again."
"How was he?"
"Not bad."
Joart's eyebrow twitched at Merin's words.
"Then why were you so picky with him?"
"Picky? He was the one being picky first."
"...Your tastes."
"Tastes? Spit it out."
As Joart fell silent, Merin shrugged lightly.
Her interest had been elsewhere from the start, not on Joart.
"He seems like he'd be fun... ."
"Why not just say it there?"
"Why should I bend when he's acting all indifferent?"
Ivan's face flashed through Merin's mind.
The way he'd stared piercingly at her magic.
"While I was casting, he just stared at it. Normally, you'd be scared, right?"
"Fear... Doesn't seem like his thing. More warrior than mage."
"That's not it. I know that look well. He's definitely mad about magic."
"Talking about yourself? Don't you lack friends?"
"Shut up."
Merin glared at Joart, then belatedly recalled Ivan's words and chuckled.
"A guy like that suddenly interested in religion? No way."
"Then why was he curious?"
"That's... Yeah, why? Why so into oracles?"
Merin pondered for a moment, but with no easy answer, she walked ahead alone, ignoring even Joart.
"Sephirot? ...No, he couldn't know about that."
"Wait."
Joart, who had been following silently, suddenly stopped and called out to Merin.
"How do you know about that?"
Merin turned and smiled slyly.
"Marron told me?"
"He... told you directly?"
"Yeah, said we won't see each other anymore anyway."
After the human Transcendents left the lab, I held the manaphone above my hand.
I hadn't pulled it out for any particular reason; there was just a message waiting when I checked.
It was a thank-you from Anonymous (2), along with an offer to pay an appropriate price.
Even after I'd given info without expecting payment, I'd helped a few more times.
I'd never demanded compensation.
Maybe they just wanted to clear their conscience.
The problem was I didn't have anything I wanted right now.
No immediate crisis on my end.
Then it hit me: the oracle stele.
One we couldn't locate or recognize.
Could I ask Anonymous (2) to find it?
But how to phrase the request?
As I mulled it over, delaying my reply—
The manaphone buzzed again.
[Anonymous (3) has entered the chat room.]